Ja Morant could only watch as it all fell apart.
The plan for Memphis to keep their heads above water during Morant’s 25-game suspension was clear: Give the ball to Desmond Bane, and bring in veterans Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose to not only add maturity to the Memphis locker room but also help run the offense until Morant returned. Then he would put them back on the pace we saw the past two seasons (when Memphis won 50+ games and was the No. 2 seed).
Nothing went to plan. Center Steven Adams is out for the season following knee surgery and his backup, Brandon Clarke, is still recovering from a torn Achilles. Smart, Rose and sharpshooter Luke Kennard all missed time with injuries. Jaren Jackson Jr.'s 3-point shooting regressed. Memphis’ elite defense got off to a slow start until the team got Bismack Biyombo to put a real center next to JJJ. Smart called out his teammates’ play as embarrassing. Despite Desmond Bane doing his best to run the show — 24.6 points and 5.2 assists a game — the Grizzlies have the worst offense in the NBA through 25 games. An example of the issues: Memphis is 27th in the league in percentage of shots at the rim but also 29th in 3-point percentage. That’s a problem.
Ja Morant is set to return from his 25-game suspension on Tuesday night — against the Pelicans — and LeBron James is excited for him.
1️⃣2️⃣ welcome back!! Go be GREAT again!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 19, 2023
However, Moraant returns to a Grizzlies team that is 6-19 and 7.5 games behind the Suns, the current No. 10 seed and owner of the final play-in spot.
Can the Grizzlies season be salvaged?
Why was Morant suspended?
Morant put the team here. He was suspended eight games last season after waiving a gun around on social media while in a Denver-area club. He told Adam Silver afterward he understood the error of his ways — flashing a firearm is a bad look for a very image-conscious league — and would do better. He didn’t. Just after the season ended he was again seen flashing a gun on a social media live stream again. This time Silver brought the hammer and suspended Morant 25 games. Morant went to therapy as a required part of his suspension.
“Very eye-opening,” Morant said of therapy when speaking to reporters last week. “Kind of gave me a new look on life with how I go about my days, how I carry myself. Just being grateful and thankful that I’m still here and in the position that I’m in.”
Morant has been around the team facilities and was able to practice with the Grizzlies, but he couldn’t play in games, and it was quickly evident how much the offense suffered without his elite, athletic playmaking. His gravity opened the doors for other playmakers to have room, without him and the very solid pick setting of Adams, Memphis’ offense floundered. The team struggled.
“Yes, it’s definitely some guilt in that...” Morant told reporters. “I take full responsibility of that even though I’m not on the floor. Decisions I’ve made didn’t allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team.”
Can the Grizzlies season be salvaged?
If Memphis adjusts its expectations, maybe. Memphis is not going to be the No. 2 seed this season. Nor in the top six.
After this ugly start to the season, the Grizzlies’ goal needs to be making the play-in — and that will not be easy. Memphis is 7.5 games back of the current No. 10 seed Phoneix and will need to leapfrog them, Golden State, and Utah.
To be in the play-in mix, the Grizzlies will need to be around .500 by the end of the season (ESPN’s BPI projects the No. 10 seed in the West to have 41 or 42 wins). To get to .500, Memphis would need to go 35-22 the rest of the way, a 61.4 win percentage — which is the 51-win pace they were on last season.
If Morant can instantly ignite the offense and Memphis can play as well as they did a season ago, they have a chance to make the play-in. It will not be easy in a deep West, but it’s possible. Get there and anything can happen — the Lakers were a play-in team last season and went to the Western Conference Finals.
It’s a big ask. Morant has to quickly and seamlessly fit back into a team used to playing without him, and the absence of Adams and all the little things he did cannot be overstated.
But there’s a chance. A second chance for Morant. That’s all he is asking for at this point.
